The Importance of Physical Education in Schools

As America attempts to better it’s elementary education system, they progressively eliminate the amount of time spent for physical education. They believe that this approach is necessary to vacate time in the day for more possible time in the classroom learning core subjects; such as math, English, reading, etc. This may seem like a productive way to better educate their pupils, but in fact they could be limiting their potential learning capacity by restricting their daily physical education.In children, daily physical activity leads to more productive brains. Elementary schools need to increase their requirements for physical education, because younger brains are more vulnerable to the positive effects of exercise on the brain which will lead to a stronger memory and better learning capabilities. The brain is a very complex organ in the body, like every activity done throughout your day it is effecting your brain in some way.

Exercise does no different. Exercise greatly has an impact on the processes occurring in the hippocampus region.As explained by Mary Carmichael in the newspaper article “Stronger, Faster, Smarter”, The process starts in the muscles. Every time a bicep or quad contracts and releases, it sends out chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1 that travels through the bloodstream, across the blood-brain barrier and into the brain itself.

There, IGF-1 takes on the role of supervisor in the body's neurotransmitter factory. It issues orders to ramp up production of several chemicals, including one called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF (Carmichael).The neurotransmitters, which are any substance responsible for sending nerve signals across a synapse between two neurons, in the body are serotonin and dopamine. With neurotransmission the neurons that are carrying the serotonin and endorphins must connect to a receptor in the brain and transport these chemicals to the brain. Serotonin is a chemical linked to many different moods.

The lack of serotonin leads to depression and an abundance leads to a sense of happiness. Dopamine works in a similar manner.They are often associated with drugs, because when you use drugs this chemical is released into the brain. Similarly exercise releases this chemical, just not in an incredible amount. As quoted by Mary Carmichael from John Ratey’s book "Dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine--all of these are elevated after a bout of exercise, so having a workout will help with focus, calming down, impulsivity--it's like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin.

" IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor, is a protein that effects growth. This is used in the brain to increase cell size in the brain.IGF-1 has been used to protect, repair, and plastically modulate the brain. The process involved with physical activity is beneficial because as the main source of IGF-1 is outside the brain. IGF-1 becomes an ideal factor to induce neuroprotective functions in the brain (Carmichael). BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, acts on certain neurons of the central and the peripheral nervous system, helping to support the survival of existing neurons, and encourage the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapse.

In the brain, it is active in the hippocampus, cortex and basal forebrain, areas vital to learning, memory, and higher thinking (Carmichael). BDNF itself is important for long-term memory. As explained by Louise Atkinson Neurogenesis is the creation and protection of brain cells. This is caused when BDNF is sent to the brain and it repairs and creates new cells within the hippocampus. She describes it as “Brain cells are connected to one another through 'leaves' on treelike branches.

The BDNF works like Miracle-Gro for the brain, causing these branches to grow, so enhancing brain function” (Atkinson). The functions of the hippocampus are explained by Michael Anissimov, a science/technology writer. The hippocampus is the area of the brain where most of the action takes place. It is a major component of the brains of humans and other mammals. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in long term memory and spatial navigation. When all these chemicals are sent to the brain they are mainly being sent to the hippocampus.

This leads to larger and more productive cells within the hippocampus. In turn, leading to a stronger long-term memory (Anissimov). Having a better memory inevitably leads to better learning, if focused on learning. So due to the functions of the hippocampus and the actions taking place in the brain. Exercise leads to a more productive and better learning brain.

In a peer reviewed article Sanna Stroth and others discussed the research project where they preformed extensive research on ways that exercise effects the brain.Their research showed that regular physical exercise has been shown to stimulate brain vascularization, increase levels of brain neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine and noradrenalin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which in turn increase the survival ability of neurons and neurogenesis. These changes create a basis for better learning, retention and performance, leading to a more efficient, plastic and adaptive brain. With increased physical fitness, they found improved cognitive flexibility and cognitive control.Also their participants working memory was partly influenced by increased physical fitness (Stroth, el al).

In children the process becomes even more beneficial. The frontal lobe in children has not become fully developed. At this age you can take advantage of this. Physical activity may have a more long-lasting effect on brains that are still developing. In kids, as in adults, the hippocampus reaps many benefits from exercise.

This could be proven by kids with ADHD, many of whom already use physical activity as a substitute or supplement for drugs.In children with the disorder, the hippocampus is enlarged, and it may be wired to the rest of the brain in abnormal ways that affect its function. A good workout, or for that matter a game of kickball, can also have much more widespread effects on children's brains. Until about 20, kids don't have fully developed frontal lobes, so other parts of the brain are forced to perform necessary functions, including those involved in learning.

A broad variety of skills ranging from math to logic to reading, all of which rope in many regions of the brain (Carmichael).Since the frontal lobe isn’t developed, you can cause permanent changes within the brain. If you keep a continual exercise regime while the brain is developing, then you will be able to keep the increased size of the brain cells will be permanent. Not only are the affects of exercise shown within the microscopic happenings of the brain, there is also the attitude it provides to elementary school children.

The effects of the neurotransmitters within the brain after exercise, serotonin and dopamine, students are ultimately in a better mood.With the students being happier they will be more prone to be cooperative and wanting to learn. Now with the expansion of their brain cells and capabilities of learning, they are now reaping a multitude of benefits from exercise. In the report prepared by Stewart G. Trost, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at Oregon State University, with support from the Active Living Research staff, Burness Communications and Pyramid Communications discussed the advantages of having physical activity in elementary schools.The affects of exercise will lead to more focus and cooperation in the classroom.

With exercise students are allowed to have fun and relieve stress. This will in turn distract them from any altercations they have been faced with. Whether it be family troubles or a confrontation with a peer. The students are in a better mood and are less likely to be distracted because they won’t be annoyed by having to sit in class. Another benefit of exercise within elementary schools is that it gives them an opportunity to burn calories.

This can be crucial to those children who are overweight. This will lead to a healthier lifestyle, not only now but in the future (Trost). The elementary school board is customarily genuine when trying to achieve what is in the best interests for their students success. They are looking for what will benefit them in the longer run academically. This generally is attempted to be achieved by limiting the time students spend outside of the scholastic environment.

They reduce physical education, music and field trips.This is understandable, especially with the advancements of foreign intelligence and education. America is attempting to surpass these nations. Particularly in Japan where they spend endless hours in books. To compete with these nations, and improve the education of ours, they increase the time spent learning core subjects; such as math, English, reading, etc.

To compensate for this time they need to reduce the time spent in other areas of school, they decrease the time in the day for supplementary classes, like physical education and music.The school board is doing it’s best to improve the academics of American elementary students. Another reason for reducing the time for physical education classes in elementary schools is the fact that they are placed on a strict budget. This means that they have a limited access to physical education instructors.

Then even if the budgets are available to acquire these instructors the finances aren’t always available to create an entertaining environment for the children. So finances are an element for the decline of physical activity in elementary schools.In response to the possible reasons for the reduction of physical education in elementary schools, there are ways to evade these problems. It is understandable that classroom time is important.

In fact the most important part of the elementary students scholastic experience. Yet there is a way to make these hours spent in the classroom even more beneficial. Research showed that physical activity programs do not adversely affect academic performance. They found that physical education leads to improved grades and standardized test scores.The children that are physically active tend to have better academic achievement (Trost). If physical activity is a required part of every students day, then their time in the classroom will be more productive.

This is proven by the effects of neurogenesis within the hippocampus. Also the time out of the classroom will allow each students teacher more planning time. This will result in a more organized classroom experience, and there will be a more productive use of time. The teachers will also get a break from having students and be more enthusiastic to teach.When it comes to the issue of finances, elaborate events aren’t necessary to exercise. The most beneficial form of exercise for the brain is running.

So a physical education instructor could set up games such as tag or other low budget games. It would also be advantageous to have the students run and stretch everyday. Physical activity can also be incorporated within the class room. Between subjects the instructors could allow their students to go outside and run for a minute.

There are plenty of options to dodge the budgets.In an e-mail interview with Patricia Morrison, Executive Director for COAHPERD, she informed me that that elementary schools are recommended to provide their students with thirty minutes of physical education daily (Morrison). While in reality only a measly 3. 8% of elementary schools provide daily physical education (Trost).

This is an asinine statistic. An incredible 96% of American students aren’t being led to their full potential. As America continues its efforts to improve their elementary educational system, they continually reduce the amount of time spent on physical education.They don’t realize that they are eliminating an extremely valuable part of each students day. Daily exercise in a child is remarkably beneficial to the functions of the brain.

It allows students to relieve stress and increase brain cell size, which leads to better memory and learning abilities. If you truly care for the betterment of elementary school students physical education should be a daily requirement for all elementary student. This change in the school system could lead to a more intelligent future for citizens of America.